The Latest in the Real Mermaids Series - Giveaway! and Character Faces for ROW80

Mermaids!

But first, we have two winners of Tara's giveaway of Hands-on Therapy: Ella and Brigitte! Congratulations! Please email me your Amazon Kindle contact info.

And now, mermaids!

Teenage girls have to deal with a lot of tough firsts. First zit. First crush. First... mermaid's tail?


In the fourth installment of Hélène Boudreau's breezy, fun and "unputdownable" Real Mermaids series, our favorite mer-girl Jade can't think of a better way to celebrate peace in the underwater mer-world than with a tropical vacation in the Bahamas with her family and BFF.

Soon, Jade is enjoying the tropical sunshine, all-you-can-eat buffet, and island day trips. But when Jade gets lost in the island's famous waterfront Straw Market, something doesn't feel quite right. A body splashes into the water as a cruise ship enters the harbour and a teen boy selling conches from his boat behind the market knows more than he's willing to admit.

With no body, no leads, and no other witnesses, though, the local police don't seem too concerned. Maybe Jade's imagination has been acting up on her, just like Cori said, considering everything she's been through in the past few months. But with Mom and Dad off on a honeymoon excursion it wouldn't hurt to check things out, would it?

Little do Jade and Cori realize, they are about to uncover more secrets about the splashing body, dangerous cruise ship cargo, and more questions than answers lurking in the nearby Caribbean waters.
"Absolutely fresh and sweet, a quirky coming of age story complete with first periods and bumbling dads...an unputdownable adventure, part Judy Blume, part Hans Christian Anderson, and 100% delightful, this fun, fresh tale (tail?) will have girls begging for a sequel..." –The YA-5

"[T]he author keeps suspense high and her prose moving while tapping straight into young teens' angst about friends, enemies and boys." –Kirkus

I love this series and can't wait to get my hands on this latest installment. And look! There's even a handy chart on how to create your own mer-name:


Plus, guess what? Anyone who'd like to win a copy of the book just has to comment below!

Meanwhile, for my ROW80 update this week, I'm going to be a bit sneaky. Haven't actually gotten any new words on paper, but have been thinking about the stories, and I realised it's been a while since I updated my characters' faces file.

Without further ado...

The Face of A Lion

Austin
(I have been trying to track the source of this photo, discovered in Real Simple magazine, for years.)

Kedi


Out of the Water

Baha
(this photo was taken by Ara Güler.
The surroundings are completely anachronistic (picture Baha carrying an easel, not a mattress!)
but the pose and expression are just right.)

Rosa
(this is actually Edwin Long's The Marriage Market, 19th Century.
I discovered the image on The Orientalist Gallery.)

Brother Arcturus
(this is actually Anthony Van Dyck's Portrait of the Sculptor Duquesnoy, 1627-29)

Rosa's father is in there too, but he also has a story of his own:

Captive of the Sea

Santiago
(ahem. Some of you might recognise him as Mike Wolfe from American Pickers.
What can I say? It's that expression on his face, it's pure Santiago.)

Mawdlen/Magdalena
(this is from the Elegance series by Rob Hefferan)

Rome, Rhymes, and Risk

Devran
(um, yes, that is Canadiens defenceman Tomas Plekanec. Why?)
(actually, Devran also looks a bit like actor Tom Ellis.)

Ayten
(another image from The Orientalist Gallery)

They also look like this when they're together:
(Solomon and Gaenor is one of my favourite films.)

Druid's Moon

Frederick
(this guy is French Formula 1 racer Romain Grosjean.
I saw his photo in the paper and thought, "Frederick! Since when do you race cars?")

Lyne
(this is a screenshot from some survey that I took.
I was halfway through when this image appeared on my screen. I was very excited!)

Larksong

George
This is completely the wrong face, but the outfit and stance feel right. I still haven't quite located a photo of George's face.

Alice
I don't have a picture of Alice! Well, I do. I have a gorgeous shot of a couple on the beach that looks exactly like Alice and George once they've openly admitted to their love for each other, but unfortunately it was a photo that an author shared of her parents (from close to Alice and George's time period) and I haven't yet asked permission to share it here. Sorry, Alice!

And finally, there's this image, which makes me feel like I'm inside a story every time I look at it.
It's Daniel Ridgway Knight's Rural Courtship, but when I saved it on my desktop, I called it "nothing changes, huh?"


Have you read any mermaid themed books recently?

Do you have faces for your characters? Sometimes I wish I could draw/sketch mine!

Comments

You know what the cat will look like! That's important.
I know what my characters look like, but I can never match them up with an actor or someone else in real life.
Anonymous said…
I love the sound of Helene's book. I love mythology, so mermaids would be right up my alley.

I like your selection of photos. At one point, I thought about starting a Pinterest board to keep track of pictures of my characters, settings, etc. Even something as simple as the dress the heroine wears in a key scene or the hero's favorite vacation spot could be helpful from a story and character development perspective. Now you've got me thinking!
Unknown said…
I love it when I find a picture of one of my characters! :) I generally use it as my desktop background when I'm working on their story.
I do have faces for my characters. I like that you can show us the people who resemble your characters.
Zan Marie said…
Oooh! I hadn't seen Frederick and Lyne before. Lovely!
S.P. Bowers said…
I never find pictures of my characters. They just are who they are. Of course, I rarely look at magazines or pics on the internet so maybe that's why I never see them.
Denise Covey said…
hI dENIZ

Love the photos. I, too, haven't really done a lot of writing this year, but I'm pretty happy with what I've done seeing it's the beginning of the school year over here, so I'm hugely busy.

Love the sound of the books you've promoted. Just came from Tara's blog.

Denise
Jack said…
I like the one of how they look when they are together. That one made me smile.

I've heard of the mermaid books and awhile back I meant to read one but forgot. it is nice to have a reminder because I LOVE fun sweet stories.
Carrie-Anne said…
I've drawn some of my characters, but haven't regularly done it for awhile. I'm honest about being an amateur artist, not a great professional about to become the next Picasso, Klee, or Schiele.
I can't honestly say that I've read any mermaid-themed books. May daughter, however, draws a lovely mermaid. :)

I came across a picture that may be my protag, but I haven't moved on to finding pics of the others yet. It definitely helps them come alive, especially since I'm a visual learner.

All the best.
Hello, my Mername is "Nettie El Crabby-Mouth". :O) Following my AtoZ Minion cousins.
TL said…
I've always adored Austin! And of course, Kedi.
Deniz Bevan said…
Alex and Sara, I love having paintings to look through for my historicals. It's harder to find contemporary people that match. There's way too much attitude in the faces in magazines; they hardly ever "look like a story".

I've got a Pinterest site too, Denise! Haven't updated in a while, though...

Me too, Lara! I made a whole collage on PowerPoint once (this was before Pinterest and Scrivener)

Thanks Theresa and ZanMarie!

Thanks for your support, Denise!

I hope you enjoy the series, Jack. I can't wait to read this latest one.

I wish I could draw even a face, Carrie-Anne!

I try hard not to really look, Steph. I just kinda keep the character in mind while looking at other stuff (art or magazines or what have you), hoping I'll recognise a face when I see it.

Hello fellow minion, LuAnn!

Me too, Tara :-) Maybe someday I'll find out who the photographer is...
Helene's story sounds like a lot of fun!

And I love a good historical! Let me know when you get yours done :)
Jeff Hargett said…
I see this on occasion and am always a bit envious. I have never been able to match up my characters' faces with those of stars or models or whatnot. It might be a blessing in that if I did, the character might take on traits of the star (real or portrayed). Just not sure I'd be able to keep them separate. Still, I can see where it would have its benefits for those who can.

As for the word additions, sometimes the hardest and most productive writing comes when the brain is at work and the fingers are at rest. :)
Deniz Bevan said…
Ooh, thanks Elizabeth! Just needs a final round of tweaking...

I know what you mean, Jeff - modern faces don't usually work for me at all. And I'm wary of sharing some of the more contemporary images I've found because it's usually not the person or the face but a specific expression in one specific photo that strikes me. I don't want readers thinking, for instance, that Mike Wolfe looks like Santiago all the time - his shoulders are way too sloped, for one thing, and Santiago being a sailor would have a lot more muscle. But it's that look on his face in that photo that captures it all...
Jemi Fraser said…
I haven't read any mermaid books, but these sound like a lot of fun!!
Deniz Bevan said…
They are! Hope you get a chance to check 'em out Jemi!
Unknown said…
Cool. The Real Mermaid series sounds fun and suspenseful. :)
S.A. Larsenッ said…
Saylor Scaly-Tailington. Hmmm... Sounds a little romantic and dirty at the same time. ;)

Just hoping over to wish my fellow #atozchallenge asset all the best. Following you now...
DMS said…
I don't recall reading any mermaid books, but I always wanted to be one so I will have to check out this series.

I like to sketch the characters in my book because it helps me to write about them. I like the idea of finding their pictures too. :)
~Jess
Carol Kilgore said…
The mermaid book sounds like a fun read!

I loved looking at your character images. I've only found images of my characters for one novel, but they are totally visible in my head.
Anonymous said…
Those are a lot of faces! Good luck getting the words down this week. And enjoy the new Mermaid book.
Liz Blocker said…
I'm with Alex - I can never find pics of my characters! I wish I could, though, and love seeing your gallery here :) I also wish I were a good enough visual artist to just PAINT them myself...
Crystal Collier said…
Goodness, I read a mermaid themed book about 6 months ago, and I really didn't like it. Lame, right? Well, not all books are created equal.

Love the characters! I can draw, but I'm a cartoonist, and my impressions don't translate to reality, so I'm scouring photos all the time. No one is exactly like my characters--not matter how much I wish they were.
Carol Riggs said…
Sounds like a really fun read! I'd love to win it if the contest is still open. :) Cute cover, too. I read a good "mer-dude" story lately, on the lighter side and very amusing, called THE VICIOUS DEEP by Zoraida Cordova. :)
Deniz Bevan said…
Thanks everyone!
Deniz Bevan said…
Coming back to this to note that Grosjean is actually Swiss, not French (well, he holds dual citizenship)!